Hi okay that actually took more like two weeks instead of one sorry! But we should be good to go now! One of the reasons it took so long was that I agonized for days and days trying to make sense of biomes and how to categorize different types of terrain, but in the end I just gave up because I couldn't make everything fit together nicely. So this is the new terrain system:

ON TERRAINAny given type of terrain in the universe will have an association with a specific color of magic. This is significant both because the color identity of terrain will affect the magical affinity of any person born there, and because any attempt to terramorph land into that terrain type will require that color of magic.Although an exhaustive list of all possible types of terrain and their color identities would be as long as it would be pointless, there are a few general rules you can apply along the color spectrum when judging the color of terrain:Places that are very dry, such as deserts, will be more orange, while places that are very wet, such as oceans, will be more blue.Places that are very lush, such as forests, will be more green, while places that are very barren, like mountain peaks, will be more red.Places that are very hospitable, such as farmland, will be more yellow, while places that are very inhospitable, such as tundra, will be more violet.In general, the far ends of the color spectrum indicate terrains that are more extreme, while the colors in the center, especially yellow and green, represent terrains that are more moderate and temperate.The current terrain list is as follows:R - Mountain, DesertO - Savannah, GrasslandY - Farmland, Temperate/Deciduous ForestG - Coniferous Forest, Jungle/RainforestB - Saltwater/Ocean, Freshwater/Lakes & RiversV - Swamp, Tundra

If you would like to see more different types of terrain listed, just tell me what it's called and I will let you know its color affinity and add it to the list.

Ok and here's the basic change log for the action system:+much like stamina, all stats now have "active values" which are your base stat multiplied by 10 (i.e., 10 active points=1 base stat point)+racial stat bonuses and action modifiers now apply to this active value during gameplay rather than being involved with base stats+action difficulty is measured against your current active value for a stat rather than against your base stat

The idea behind this addressing the idea of having finer granular control over stats and how they change, and making it so that your character isn't so heavily defined by their race.

Here's the new character creation guide:BASE STATSDivide 24 points as you see fit between each of the six base stats. You may have no stat lower than 2 or higher than 7

RACIAL AND TERRAIN BONUSESRaceYour race will provide three gameplay effects: a color affinity, bonuses to certain active stat values, and a unique racial skill. The current up-to-date race bonus table is as follows. Note that the stat now bonuses apply to your active stat values, and not to base stats.

TerrainYour homeland is a specific terrain type. It defines your second color affinity.

STARTING WEAPONS, SKILLS, AND SPELLSThese three categories of starting modifier are player generated, although the GM will offer help upon request. A modifier should have 1. a short description or name which defines it; 2. a modifier value which defines how much of a bonus it give to your active stat value when applied; and 3. a specialization range (Note that some modifiers can apply to more than one stat, but all affected stats must be adjacent. Note also that will is considered adjacent to stamina). The stat requirement of a starting modifier is half of its modifier value, rounded down.

There is no limit on the amount of starting modifiers you have in any category, however, the sum of modifier values for each separate category cannot exceed 24. Furthermore, you may not currently have any modifier values higher than 10. Any points that you choose not to spend on starting modifiers will be converted to additional starting money instead.

The other three modifier categories, that is, armor, gear, and items, are more dependent on the setting of the campaign, and so will be determined after character creation.

Sweet! I adjusted my attributes. Can you give an example of what you're expecting for starting items? One or two handed? Cool down and activation times? Weight considerations? Max range? Any mechanism to interrupt another's action? Skill/spell/weapon chaining?

NAME: ManeraAPPEARANCE: mostly consists of pockets that hold intricate tools worn down by years of use for purposes they never were designed for and half-finished magical artefacts.PERSONALITY: Tends to consider everything a complicated yet intriguing intellectual puzzle - whether it be how to open a door (which it turns out was unlocked), how to interact with people or how to fight a battle.JOB: Researcher and whatever pays wellBACKGROUND:Manera grew up in the Crystal Fork clan of Orcs. These travel across rural areas, stopping and villages and farms and offer their services of fixing anything magical. Magic stoves, magically cooled boxes or rooms to store food and of course wards against both bugs, diseases and raiders. Magical tools that stay sharp or help plants grow. All of it tends to break down, and then the Crystal Fork clan is willing to fix it for a price. Manera was quite uninterested in the practical repair of these devices, and rather more intrigued by the theories behind them.One day, she decided to improve an automatic harvesting basket, which would attract any wheat to it, making sure that nothing fell to the ground. What she ended up with was a basket that summoned all the wheat from the surrounding three fields, though it wasn't fully grown yet. With such damages to her name, the clan politely but insistently suggested that she find something else to do with her life if they way of living wasn't to her tastes.So she left them at the next city they came to, the clan resupplying their tool and replacement parts for various magical contraptions, and Manera headed off to the magical university to study. Her avid studies mostly consisted of heading ever deeper into the realms of theoretical magic and wild idea of what could theoretically be possible to achieve. There were breaks only when she ran out of money ever now and again, and she had to take a break while quickly making some money before throwing herself back into her studies.Among her (theoretical) schemes are:- legally changing her name to a working magical spell- finding new ways to produce store and channel magical energy- designing a machine to autonomously create spells - finding a new primary magical colorShe is often puzzled when people do not share her enthusiasm, or are unable to follow her complex spell diagrams. She also considers practical experience with all six major colors of magic and how to combine all of them to be essential basic education, never mind that only a handful of people can claim such knowledge.

RACE: Orc

AFFINITY: OYHOMELAND: Farmland

BASE STATS:STA: 4DEX: 3PER: 3CHA: 2EDU: 7WIL: 5Sum: 24

ACTIVE STATS:STA: 46DEX: 33PER: 33CHA: 20EDU: 76WIL: 50

Modifiers are here written like this:Name (+modifier, stat requirement, specialization range): DescriptionI've also added notes on what modifier, stat requirement and specialization range mean for each category.

WEAPONS:(bonus, difficulty to use, available combat slots)Staff (+2, 1, 1-5): A versatile weapon, though Manera is loath to use her previous magic staff for actual combat.Dagger (+3, 1, 1-2): Useful for defense at very close range, but that's about it.Sum: 5/24

SKILLS:(bonus, stat required, stat affected)Metamagic genius (+7, 3, 5&6): Manera is excellent at any spells that affect other spells. Affects Will and Education.Rainbow magic (+7, 3, 6): Manera has practiced using different colors of magic together, so whenever she uses at least 3 different colors in the same spell, things seem to go a bit easier for her. Affects Will.Esoteric Magic Knowledge (+10, 5, 6): Manera has an intuition for strange and rare magic. Usable whenever there would only be a handful of people in the world who knew what the magic question was even about. Affects Education.Sum: 24/24

SPELLS:(bonus, will to use, time to cast)Detect Magic (+1, 0, 0): This spell notifies the caster of the presence of any magic within a few meters, and its location.See Magic (+2, 1, 1): This spell makes magic in the area glow in its associated colors, but only for the caster.Analyse Magic (+3, 1, 4): This spell gives details on any magic that it is used on.Analyse Object (+5, 2, 6): By focusing on the minute magic flowing inside an object, the caster can gain a sense of it. Any strong nearby sources of magic interfere with this and thus make it more difficult to use.Repair Magic (+2, 1, 0-6): This spell requires a deep understanding of the spell in question, but can slowly repair any damage to it. The time this takes depends on the complexity of the target spell.Dismantle Magic (+2, 1, 0-6): The reverse of Repair magicBoost Magic (+5, 2, 1): This spell increases the effect of the targeted spell.Light (+1, 0, 0): Summons a small glowing orb of light.Carve rune (+2, 1, ): Runes need to be very precise, so having a spell that can perfectly carve one for you is handy.Mental Note (+1): Magically remember a thought.Sum: 24/24

quick note: I just realized the instructions for creating starter spells are totally wrong That's my bad. I'm gonna do a quick edit of odf's spell list and post that as an example along with a blank template.

Hellaphunt wrote:Sweet! I adjusted my attributes. Can you give an example of what you're expecting for starting items? One or two handed? Cool down and activation times? Weight considerations? Max range? Any mechanism to interrupt another's action? Skill/spell/weapon chaining?

Starting weapons should be whatever your character would regularly carry with them. Starting armor, gear, and consumables will be determined after I describe the setting, so you can decide what kind of stuff you would bring there (i.e. you'll probably want to carry different stuff with you in a desert rather than on a boat).

Cooldown and activation, weight, interrupting actions, and action chaining are all covered by the combat priority system and defined by the specialization range of modifiers. I've just reconfigured the OPto create a rules manual that's hopefully a little more clear, so you can go refresh your memory on that if you want

As for max range of long range weapons, most matters of distance should be covered by the GM. I might add more specific mechanics for this in the future but for now I want to test how it goes without. That said, if you want to make particular considerations for the range of a weapon or spell, just make note of it in the description and I'll keep it in mind.

APPEARANCE: Short and stocky; basically built like a barrel on legs. Actually slightly oversize for a dwarf; think the approximate equivalent of a big, bulky bartender for regular humans. Tends to carry a pack that is as big or bigger than he is, in deference to age-old tradition. Always carries bagpipes or a different music instrument. Has a beard that gives extra credibility to all the stereotypes. Usually smokes a pipe that looks like it's been handed down for at least four generations. Proudly runs around with a skin tone that suggests he hasn't seen the inside of a house his entire life.PERSONALITY: Once put a coat and a pumpkin head with a hat on the top of his pack, making seven people mistake him for a human. Bruno is a bit more easygoing than most of his fellow dwarves, although he definitely wouldn't trust anyone but himself with money. He gives off the impression of a man who could, with a bit of thought put into it, do everything a father of five would need to do, including building houses, cooking food and entertaining the children. Loves long, strenuous marches across any terrain, although he prefers it not be swamp. Absolutely a fan of good, honest work, but not entirely disinclined to a bit of good, honest lying if it seems appropriate or necessary.JOB: BARD. Also a traveling handyman, doing any odd jobs falling into his big hands, and a part-time priest and enchanter. Sometimes a warrior.BACKGROUND: Bruno is an auspicious personality stemming from a long line of dwarves. He ... well, actually, that's a lie. He was born to an out-of-the-way family of dwarves who had dug their way all the way into the tundra after hearing of an especially promising coal seam. They made a good living, and he was a happy dwarf, though slightly unfulfilled in the work of mining, and occasionally prone to knocking his head on especially low-placed support beams. His family insists that it was this fact that eventually led him to be more imaginative than most of them, and- as a good family who cared for the happiness and reliability of their fellow dwarves- had an education as a bard organized for him.

In the following years, Bruno became a traveling bard- after having finished his education, of course- and merrily marched through the world in order to learn more fantastic stories, meet fantastic beasts and people and to bring tales belittling them all back home. In the process, he always tries to make himself useful in the good view that although he doesn't have to trust anyone, they don't have to trust him either and the best way to earn someone's trust is to do an honest day's work together with them, which will then result in you getting access to more of the rumor mill. Working men can gossip like high school girls, though in a more subdued fashion.

NOTES:

STATS:STA | 4 DEX | 3 PER | 5 CHA | 6 EDU | 4 WIL | 3

TOT | 24

ACTIVE STATS:STA | 46 DEX | 33 PER | 50 CHA | 60 EDU | 43 WIL | 36

Now believe me, I am way confused by this whole combat section you've implemented. So I've thrown in some things and generally left a lot of blanks where I don't know what to do.

I'm working on my stuff but you know what i would really love? is something similar to the base stats table that's like "Capable Noticer" and all, but for modifiers. I'm just not sure what a reasonable number is for, say, a big stick you can hit people with. If this is already established I apologize, I'm trying to do due dilegence but maybe I'm not a Capable Noticer.If my STA is 4 then I can have a weapon with a modifier as high as 9, right? and since "Modifier values come on a scale from 0 to 60" that doesn't seem unreasonable, but nobody else is doing it so i'm guessing that i'm misunderstanding something.

While I'm here, can we talk about healing too? Obviously I'm going for healer here. Let's talk numbers in terms of using my skills or spells to restore stamina to myself and others.

Hey guys. Sorry this concept seriously stalled out. Real life always has an unfortunate tendency of getting in the way of my ambitions

I'll keep this thread updated as I continue working on the system and episodes; I don't want to abandon this project, I'm just not certain how long it's going to take to actually get it going. I'm considering testing it with some D&D friends IRL before it's ready for a forum. Thanks for sticking around, though! You've all been really helpful in the design and iteration process, and I'm still a big fan of forum RPGs in general, so I want to keep the dream alive.